NEW YORK — The Liberty began their quest as the Eastern Conference’s newest superteam as Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot were officially introduced on Thursday morning.
The two additions have combined for three WNBA championships and eight All-Star game appearances, giving head coach Sandy Brondello a surplus of talent heading into her second season leading the Liberty squad.
“Christmas came in February,” Brondello said at a press conference at Barclays Center. “You always want to coach the best. You’re all about winning. So, for Stewie, and Courtney and [Jonquel Jones] to want to come to New York, that says a lot of the coaching staff which I think is really good.
“The girls have spoken about it. We got these players, who are amazing players. But now the real work starts. We want to win a championship. [We want] to bring that first championship to the Liberty.”
A first championship would be an ideal way to usher in a new era for one of the WNBA’s original franchises. It was one of the many topics Stewart and Vandersloot discussed with Liberty brass during a three-day recruiting trip in Turkey this offseason.
Vandersloot said the two were in “constant communication” during the recruitment process and both expressed interest in playing together. She added they “met with a lot of the same teams” because of the interest of sharing the court together.
The two stars picked Brooklyn as their destination, continuing to remain teammates as they both suited up for Turkish club Fenerbahce during the WNBA offseason.
“Great players want to play with other great players,” Stewart, who won two WNBA titles with the Seattle Storm, explained when asked about the new acquisitions meshing with an already talented roster. “When you have those great players, they know and respect the people to the left and right of them so much that they know they can make this work.”
The former Chicago Sky guard echoed Stewart’s sentiments.
“Our goals aligned and we both saw our futures being really bright here in New York,” Vandersloot said. “I think for different reasons, but obviously a championship [is a goal].”
“This roster is special,” Vandersloot added. “We kind of talked about it. … They have an incredible amount of young talent and we just wanted to add to this roster. We didn’t want to come here and blow it up. We wanted to be additions. That was the most important part.”
Ushering in a new era for the Liberty includes making changes off the court — not just making splashy roster signings.
Stewart’s signing with the Liberty pairs her with team owners, Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, that align with her ambitions to better WNBA work conditions, including getting chartered flights on travel days. The 2018 MVP previously stated she would be willing to be part of a deal that subsidizes chartered travel for the whole league, even if it meant contributing her own money.
“It’s a topic that needs to be talked about,” Stewart said. “I think that when we talk about pushing the needle and raising the bar, elevating the WNBA, it’s that. It’s also player health and wellness and what’s gonna make us be able to travel across the country, or whatever the case may be, and be ready to play our best. We want to play our best to win and we want to play our best in front of new fans, season-ticket holders, things like that.
“When talking to Clara and Joe, they also feel the same way. We’re fighting to elevate the standard.”
Stewart said that she will advocate for laying the groundwork so requests for better work conditions will be granted in the future. She added even if she won’t see these changes before her playing days are over, she hopes advocating for these changes assists future players so they won’t have to deal with “tedious” inconveniences.
The league’s current collective bargaining agreement doesn’t allow for teams to pay for anything more than premium economy and all players must travel on commercial flights.
“I just need to be a constant voice and be as influential as I can. As we know, I’ll get fined if I talk too much about anything related to the collective bargaining agreement. Everyone knows where we stand on this issue,” Clara Wu Tsai said.
Last season, the Liberty was fined $500,000 after the Tsais put players on chartered flights for away games during the second half of the season. The league also considered terminating the franchise, but backed off the threat.
“I think the fine that we took and the actions that we made pretty much spoke for themselves,” Tsai explained about her stance on the topic. “I’m a person about actions, not words.”
